Solus' leg cut through the air at a roaring pace, a mere fraction of a second and it would have hit its mark. Yet before hitting home the sound of thunder boomed and a streak of lightning shot through the sky. In a flash the bolt struck at the Captain's still grounded ankle causing them to lose balance.

A miracle that the spell did anything meaningful. In all reality had Solus unleashed his full power, the spell would fallen short of causing anything meaningful. Yet at this moment, some leeway was granted. As a result the kick was thrown off just enough to allow Elijah catch Solus just as he reached out.

Though the situation would now seem dire, Solus was a quick thinker. The moment they lost balance was the moment they predicted Elijah would either stop or catch them, and the same moment their response was planned out. In the instant Elijah moved to follow up, Solus' reiatsu flared up sharply. As the monstrous hand approached, the energy flowed back and behind the Captain and into their own hands. Elijah's hand hit solus' face at the same time a small red orb had formed between the Lion's palms and shone brightest fir an infinitessimally small moment before exploding violently.

Unusual for a master of Kidou to form such a miserable example of a spell, but in this case the hasty and sloppily put together shakkahou was just what was needed in this moment. The result would be the force Solus needed to force themselves at Elijah who had taken a firm hold of them, and almost certain push the brute back in order to crush him between themselves and the cave's walls.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

Victory was in Elijah's grasp, quite literally so as his iron grip latched onto Solus. The meat shield no longer in combat must have slowed the Captain enough to make it a simpler task. The sadistic behemoth's razor jaw opened and moved forth to cripple Solus for the battle. However, a bright red glow behind the Captain's back changed all that.

Elijah didn't know any kidou, but his every predatory instint told him this was a problem. Milliseconds later the assumption was proven true as Solus was pushed forward by some strange burst of energy. Growling in abject fury, Elijah felt himself inch closer and closer to the wall behind him. Each step one away from his prey and goal.

Elijah''s rage blinded him to easier solutions such as letting the Captain go or attempting crush his skull in his hand. He wanted Solus to hurt, not just die.

Using all the mighty afforded to his frame, Elijah would try to pull on each part his massive meathooks latched onto. The goal simply to have Solus' stomach facing upward and his body laying horizontally in front of him. If Elijah managed to so, he would use the redirected blast behind the back of Solus to propel the Captain into the air before yanking him back down onto the waiting knee of the giant to break his back.

'The behemoth of a man is just a persistent as he is vicious.' As Solus thought as they felt not only the meat hooks laying into them at the shoulders, but their entire body being redirected upward. As they went, a trail of blood and vocal pain were left behind as the Captain flew upward. Just before hitting the ceiling, Solus forcibly broke free of the spell imposed upon them earlier and reached up with both hands.

Elijah had forced the Captain to place one of their aces a bit earlier than planned, by revealing their arm wasn't as helpless and they tried to make it appear. However preventing themselves from being impaled on the stalactites was beyond a fair trade. As the Captain neared what seemed like an inevitable skewering, an enormous tornado-like wind exploded from both the Captain hands as they cried out the spell whose name was lost to the roar of the winds. Effortless, Solus canceled out the upward momentum.

The Captain had managed to escape the frying pan, but the fire still yet lied in wait for them. Eljihah yanked down on the chain, drawing Solus towards the behemoth while also tearing into the Captain a little further. At this point now, it was taking all of their physical strength just to hold themselves together against the relentless brute. Being able to stop what followed seemed impossible but Solus cried out once more "Hadou number 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!"

In an instant violent sparks of electricity leapt forth from Solus hands as they reached out and grasped at the chain. It was at this point that Solus' mastery of Kidou would become quite apparent, for it was not the simple use of the spell, but rather it specific application that transcended above all normal use.

First, the amount of power the put in to the spell was beyond increadible on its own, yet Solus forced in enough power and maintained the current long enough to cause it to become a blistering white hot. The move was almost certainly a double edged sword. Solus very well intended force Elijah to release the chain, recoil from the pain of both the high heat and intense shock, and spare Solus the edge of his knee. But at the same time, the same pain Elijah would feel Solus would be left to face all the same, but with the meathooks latched firmly then.

There would be no escaping what they set loose, and no real chance that Elijah wasn't so far gone that pain simply wasn't a concept to him. To ensure the best possible outcome even in the worst case scenario, Solus finally unleashed the truth of their power. In a hurry, their almost logic defying reiatsu manifested itself and would immediately become the center of attention. Like a King suddenly gracing his subjects with his presence, too too would all in the vicinity be graced by the presence of solus' spiritual might, and yet...they would not be so blessed.

Instead this power was beyond wicked. The very idea of it being a reality was a very serious attempt to spit at god. Solus was beyond the normal concept of a Captain when it came to reiatsu, and there was likely no choice but to submit when subjected to it. All of their anger, all of their hate, discontent, malice, wrath given a form whose sole purpose was destruction and nothing more. As if to be the hand around the neck that snuffed out each and every miserable life it fel was beneath it. This was Solus, this was their power. A near invisible entity that could only be felt, and in such an oppressive manner at that. To seek to weigh not just in the shoulders of all it felt, but the minds, souls, hearts of them all to. To force all to their meager knees, to enslave, and to slaughter. Such hatred was never meant to take shape, and yet it did. This game was to come to its end, and Solus would see sure that it did at this point with the very simple act of no longer restraining themselves.

The calamity had been set free.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

Wuji retract his left hand behind as his kido spell fulfilled his expectations. But still the Captain was quick witted to avoid more problems for himself. Solus's clever tactics was no doubt remarkable, if Wuji had not kept his distance all this time he would never had hope to survive against Solus.

While the fierce battle between Solus and Elijah continued, Wuji looked on as sweat formed on his temple just above his thick eyebrow. Wuji observed with caution as his best friend and partner. The Wudang man had seen so many openings to exploit in order to tip the balance to his favour. But the intense battle that waged on continuously spoke a different language entirely; it indicate a serious warning to the 5th seat to abandon any intent he might have in store for Solus.

Like a true martial artist, Wuji tried to circle around the high tier beings as he walked gently and gracefully without any sound from his footsteps. But the sudden burst of an overwhelming reiatsu hit the air and permeated the entire vicinity. It was as if all the occupants of hell had been set free to descend upon the area. The entire building
structures shook with thunderous turbulence as though it had been hit by a massive tremo. It was one of a kind, it was telling, weird and wonderful too. Before the 5th seat could utter a sound or move any of his muscles, his kneels were forcefully stamped to the ground like an Enoch paying homage to an Emperor.

Wuji tried every means to resist the colossal power of Solus but his effort were considered null and useless. He tried to breathe but the air became too hard for his lungs to inhale. And in a few seconds the 5th seat officer found his two muscular arms mounted on the ground as well.

Elijah was enveloped in utter bliss as Solus was chucked into the air, meat hooks deep beneath his flesh like a trapped fish. A shift in the slack of chain let Elijah w something was wrong. Elijah's ears were met with the howl of wind and his eyes met with the movement of Solus' arms. Tension pulled back in the chain and Elijah's sunken eyes widened in surprise. "TINY MAN FAKING!" he thought as he tried to process a response.

Before such a thing came to pass, electricty coursed through his arms and into the rest of his body. Smoke rose from the charring fabric as Elijah's muscles tightly convulsed along the chain. The link shape burned into Elijah's flesh as he was unable to let go, through both pride and ignorance. As Solus' descent began, Elijah would wrap the length of chain along his forearm, searing through more and more flesh.

Elijah's plan bordered on lunacy, but before it could be executed an enormous amount of reiatsu attempted to force him to his knees. He would not kneel however, he would not fall, as much as it would pain his person. His already smoking clothing would begin to vaporize with each moment Solus grew close. His grey skin dissappearing layer by layer. Beyond any known form of anger, Elijah persevered for battle.

Elijah would try and pull Solus in as close as possible, and clamp him in a simple bearhug. Ordinarily a fruitless manuveur against a Captain of this caliber, this would be supplimented by electricity locked muscles around the smaller man. Elijah would try and squeeze the very life out of Solus, even as his flesh decayed by the second. Even further, Elijah would once again use his mouth as a weapon. Opening his mouth as wide as he possibly could, he would force his bottom row of teeth right into Solus' eyes and the top row onto the crown of his skull in an act of pure defiance.

It seemed Elijah was beyond stopping. Beyond tiring, beyond being broken. A man, a thing, an entity devoted purely to causing harm and reveling in the suffering of others. Indeed the traits of a monster or a beast, what Solus wanted all to become. Yet, Elijah was different... Even beasts killed and destroyed with purpose. However instead, Elijah only did it for the joy of it. A trait as dangerous as it was bothersome.

Solus was quickly realizing this first hand as they found themselves trapped in the being's grip, with their face only momemts away from being torn into by a rather vicious looking set of teeth. Or so it seemed... the fangs that sought to carve the Captain's flesh we stopped dead in their tracks as the tight grip failed crush the Captain. As threatening as Elijah was, his one track mind prevented him from realizing just how powerful Solus was.

By pure strength alone, Solus matched Elijah in every way imaginible. With nothing else, Elijah would not see an easy victory. Yet, for as strong as Solus was physically, that power paled in comparison to the spiritual strength Solus had. A power beyond reason, beyond explanation, beyond normal. Now having been unleashed to its fullest extent, and able to fully supplement the Captain's physical strength, what hope Elijah or even anyone had of causing harm with such a simple tactic neared nil.

Teeth met with flesh and body harnended like tempered steel by the immense surge of reiatsu. For those who could control it, this spiritual power was as much as weapon as it was a shield. In the hands of Solus, one capable of wielding this power with such profound mastery over it, these tools were many times more effective and dangerous with them than most others. The results were plain to see, as Elijah's merger attempts to cause further harm wer halted in much the same way as an toddler's attempt to cause a fuss would be halted by a stern parent.

The Captain had enough, or so they proclaimed loudly enough that the echo made the cave walls quiver and the Proving Flame tremble at the sound of their fury. This fight would need to be put to a swift and decisive end. What followed came in a hurry, or a nearly all at once mess or anger, frustration, and tiredness. The words "Hadou 57: Daichi Tenyou," hit the air and what made Solus truly terrifying had manifisted, though it did so beyond anyone's ability to detect. Rather than directing the power of the spell at some distant object, or even something nearby just laying around as Solus may have done in any other situation.

Instead, the power of this spells was channeled somewhere much closer, on a more intimate, and personal level. The gauntlets adorning the Captain hands became the center of attention for the spell, and it was something uniquely sister. Beyond strength both spiritually and physically, Solus also excelled in the art of Kidou. So much so that the often unothodox employment of it was strangely beautiful in its odd amalgamation of simplicity and complexity. On the simpler side of things, Solus simply directed the spell at their gauntlets, but from the complex side of things, the spell would become a means to dramatically augment Solus' natural capablilities.

The Captain was increadibly powerful on their own physically, but their ability to and propensity for finding ways to augment such strength made Solus far more of a threat than many seemed to comprehend and realize. Once the effects of the spell fully took hold, Solus began flexing their muscle in attempts to spread their arms out and break free of the behemoth's grip. By strength alone, it would take some effort, but now the extra push afforded to them by the effects of the spell was greatly reduce the effort needed. Yet things didn't stop there. Of course Solus, when serous, often layered all efforts—often in excess— in such a way to maximize success and minimize failure, damage, or other wise attempt to ensure the best possible outcome, this attempt was no different.

Besides the combination of strength and Kidou, Solus added in a well timed and well controlled burst of reiatsu to the mix. The pulse wasn't strong enough to cause harm or even push the massive man back too far, but rather enough to not only aid in the endeavor to break free, but to help in knocking the behemoth off balance. The sudden jolt of the massive physical force aided by the spell alone would be enough to disrupt most fighters, but the extra push by their reiatsu would add insurance to the plan.

With success, Elijah would be left vulnerable for the follow up. Had Zetsriel not screamed at Solus to reconsider, Solus would have went for the killed an punched Elijah square in the throat where at least the airway would have collapsed and suffocated him, of not snapping his neck entirely. Having been swayed to show some mercy, Solus would instead aim for the chest with a fairly straight-forward jab. A very plain, and boring attack for certain, however his was powered up to an absurd extent by the marriage of physical strength and Kidou mastery.

With unaugmented punches, Solus could easily break bone, even against someone so evenly matched. But with attack power enhanced significantly by such an enormous reiatsu, and the power of Kidou Elijah would have no choice but to crumple under the sheer force of the attack. Bones wouldn't be broken, but rather obliterated entirely, with hundreds if not thousands of fragments to cut up the insides if not also forcibly ejected from the significance of the impact.

Perhaps in the end it wasn't mercy at all. The massive amount of trauma Elijah stood to face in the wake of solus' retaliation was enough to kill, or leave one in a near death state. Bones being destroyed, with fragments cutting up internal organs and potentially also being expelled was bad enough, but what that kind of impact would do to the body even before the bones was threatening. The heart could stop, the force could cause numerous organs to rupture leading to massive internal hemorrhaging and worse. It would be a wonder if Elijah's body held together at all, rather than being blown open if not completely apart.

All this, the result of being pushed and prodded to not just act, but to act decisively. To set the tone, and to teach the lesson that they were not to be trifled with and to to be taken so lightly. For those that failed to understand this very simple truth, a very harsh punishment awaited. No relent, and hardly any mercy. Only might, pure and raw. To conquer and slay. To subject and dominate. This was Solus.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

More of Elijah's body deteriated by the second as Solus resisted the behemoths crushing efforts. His razor fangs began to recede layer by layer as they crunched against flesh they could not pierce. Roaring unintelligibly, Elijah's grip began to soften before being completely broken by Solus' seemingly inexhaustible strength and reaitsu.

Staggering back in utter shock, Elijah couldn't even react to the chest shattering punch thrown by Solus. While the giant was among the most durable ever to live, even he couldn't handle the kids coated gauntlets at this magnitude of strength. The bones within his massive chest shattered as if a grenade was implanted within.

Remarkably Elijah still stood, staggering as if he were drunk,wheezing, blood dripping from his leather armor, but still standing. His lungs had been shredded to mere strips, his liver and stomach punctured and leaking fluids internally.

"BAAAAANK....AIIIII...DEATHS....LAST REQUIEM! "Elijah Managed to roar in what would have been his final breaths.

Ignoring the now transformed chainsaw on the ground beyond Solus, Elijah now stood steady. His wounds ceasing to bleed, himself ceasing to breath, his eyes already near lifeless were solid black, now semmingmy nonplussed by the chucks of flesh burned off by reiatsu. "Tiny Man....die...die!!!!! DIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

Numerous corpses rose from the floor, from the cave walls, from the very dome of stone above their heads. Limp and useless they fell as if rain, Elijah grabbed two of them by their ankles, tossing them at Solus before charging forward in pure unabated focus of killing.

As the behemoth staggered backwards, Solus jumped away from the man to put a fair bit of distance between them. Seconds later, the Captain hit the ground with a soft thud, falling to all fours in the process. Blood and sweat had now covered their body, and their breathing had elevated to a significant degree. Fighting against Elijah, especially after effectively using a rather nasty spell on themselves, and with several notable injuries on top was becoming a chore. Despite fatigue beginning to set in, Solus remained fiercely on task. The hit was severe enough that Solus was confident the behemoth would fall, yet to their dismay this was not the case. A visible expression of both shock and concern had found its way to Solus' face-- a rare occasion.

"A hit like that, and he still sta-"

Before the Captain could finish their thought, the situation had become much more dire. Like flames to flesh, the word "Bankai" had burned into Solus' mind and soul. From a simple intrusion to a full-fledged battle, things had escalated beyond what Solus was predicting. Of course, they were well equipped to deal with the unexpected occurrence, but the fact that things had reached such an extent was unacceptable. Solus regretted being so permissive up until this point, too lenient, too willing to hold back and stay in control of themselves. As as Elijah was quickly becoming an even greater threat, the results of their negligence had stung them much much.

The Captain stood, shakily finding their footing as the manifestation of Elijah's true power had reached completion. The Captain's response was simple and elegant, a stark contrast to the brutality they had shown up until now. In fact, the simple utterance of the phrase "Complete me, Zetsriel," lacked the maliciousness and hatred that stilled remained every present in the Captain dense aura. A paradox of identity, at first, but quickly things turned for the worst. Solus' gauntlets nearly exploded with a fierce energy. It would do no harm, but the display was a sign that Solus committed to fighting with the best of what they had left.

As soon as Solus words hit the air, and before the transformation had begun, the Proving Flame reacted violently to the Captain's command. As if the banish the evil that was often associated with the words Solus spoke, the Proving Flame profusely belched up flame and ash. In an instant, the entirely of the cave would be covered in its wrath, yet the fierceness was nothing more than a display. In fact, it's flames weren't even hot. Instead a gentle warmth permeated the room as the red and gold waves spread out over the cave walls, floor, and overhead. From the ash rose countless ghostly figures made of flames and ash. Each was a different fallen warrior with a unique weapon, set of armor, and even ethnicity and cultural background. They were the many Warriors of days gone that the Proving Flame's magic had recognized as worthy and beseeched their resting souls to rise once more and stand in protection of this darkened chamber.

With the echo of countless warcries and battle chants, all but two Warriors melted into the parts of the cave nearest to them, leaving it covered in a golden light. The remaining two stood guard over both Grizzly and Hyena. The result was a barrier of immense power, one closely resembling the makeup and constitution of the barrier protecting all of Soul Society. In fact, the Proving Shield was a derivitive magic, conjured by great Masters of the Kidou Corps well before their untimely demise in the calamity. Their power and sentiment remained ever strong in the presence of this powerful magic.

Topping off the display of power was eerie light had soon after engulfed Solus and intimately covered them from head to toe in its radiance. Blackness, an almost all-consuming emerged as the light faded. Darkness now reigned, sniffing out all traces of light as it assumed its throne. But amidst Solus' ascension of power, something peculiar occurred. Bodies, several of them began welling up from the floor, and oozing both from the walls and ceiling above. A grotesque image to be sure, one both fitting of the man standing against Solus, and one the Captain found truly unsettling.

By now, Elijah's macabre influence, and Solus' dance of shadows and soon dark flame had devolved into a petty competition who's power was more sinister. Of course, Solus lost. In fact, they were not even a contender. In the end, sharp claws, spiked knuckles, flames, and pitch covered arms and legs could not compete with the foul conjuring of corpses the behemoth performed. The disrespect for the dead in the haphazard flopping and slapping of lifeless flesh evoked a weird mix of feelings the Captain could not explain, but soon the all melted away as animal instinct began taking over.

Surprising, the nomally wild Captain was able to keep cool, and contained up until this point, yet Zetsriel had the unusual knack for drawing out and exaggerating many aspect of Solus-- the worst of which was the primal nature that allowed them to fight truly unhindered. That much was quickly making itself apparent as the Captain roared with a voice to make Elijah's previous cry seem like that of a mewling kitten.

Solus seemed set to break what remained Elijah down, and then burn what was left of that out of existence, but before Solus could move and take control of the situation Elijah acted first. Two bodies, plucked from the air like chickens selected for the slaughter. Both hurled forth with tremendous strength and tenacity. Of course, the Captain did not flinch. Instead they retorted with a venomous growl, 'Dark Mantra!' as they bent over slammed both fist into the ground. In what would feel like an instant, Solus' dark hands had grown to many times they preview size, each large enough to obscure Solus from Elijah's direct line of sight.

The shadow hands now acted like a physical barrier, standing in protest against the behemoth's attack as the bodies crashed and splattered against the hardened darkness. Upon impact, flames were violently expelled from the darkness, burning the dismantled corpses out of existence. Of course Solus was unaware of Elijah's next move. The roar of flames ensured Solus was unable to hear the lumbering footsteps, but it did not matter what would follow. The hands alone would be enough to keep the man at bay for a while.

Regardless of how Elijah would react, Solus would not engage directly. Rather, they issued a very plain and direct order to stand down. The behemoth was not given the same warning as Grizzly and Hyena were previously, yet now was a more than appropriate time to do so, for what would follow further engagement with Solus was a truely unfortunate fate. The Captain was quickly losing control of themselves to Zetsriel's influence, holding on with just enough to allow the man to turn away from the dark path he recklessly charged down. Making matters much worse, was the inexplicable disappearance of a rather significant portion of Solus' power in the wake of Zetsriel's awakening. Like the retreating tide before the tsunami, signs of impending misery had been firmly etched into the pages of this story.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

Were it possible for Elijah to have seen the brief moment of shock on Solus' face, be would have been elated that even the Lion knew fear. Such were the things that brought a true monster like Elijah, joy. The moments needed to activate his Bankai robbed him of the privliege. The following display of shadow and light however, were witnessed in their entirety.

Elijah's otherworldly gaze never wavered from the animalistic captain. Through golden glows of protective light and utter darkness of malice, the Titan of terror merely raised his prey from the earth itself. This was not magic on Elijah's part, nor complicated action requiring elaborate preporation. It was simply the power of Elijah's zanpakutou at work.

Death's Last Requiem allowed Elijah to raise all his previous victims from the grave, of which the numbers were vast. Two corpses thrown by the giant were bit drops in the ocean of misery Elijah had wrought. Their incineration at the literal hands of Solus were of little consequence.

Still, Elijah charged forth toward the massive hands, with the knowledge that he was the aggressor once again. By the moment, more bodies unceremoniously fell to the ground from above with a squelch as their burst apart on impact. They also crawled rapidly from the ground beneath Elijah's feet, raising him meter by meter above the battlefield, tbe shadow hands, and placing Solus in his vision.

From above, Elijah willed his tidal wave of corpses to shift in their position in such a manner that slid his massive chainsaw over their broken bodies and into his hands. Now the battle could truly take place on the giant's terms. Roaring gleefully as his weapon revved to life, Elijah willed his wall of meat to fall on Solus as if the foot of a giant.

This would be a mere cover however, as Elijah had a special show for Solus to witness. Elijah himself would crash to the ground, enormous weapon in both hands and facing Solus. Charging forth with reckless abandon, Elijah would summon the corpses of both a mountain lion and a grizzly bear at the respective feet of the Captain.

Ordinarily this would be as harmless as the already lifeless corpses that had already risen. However, their appearance would be accompanied by the shout of "Cower!" from Elijah. In that moment, the fallen creatures of nature would regain their majestic calls life afforded them. Their charging roars and growl's would be heard by all in the cave as Elijah moved to diagonally cleave Solus in two from his right shoulder to left hip.

Note: I'll deal with those corpses from below in a future post. Given the events of this one Solus' attention would be elsewhere and he wouldn't really notice them at this point in time.

While the Captain was not infallible, taking them down was no simple matter. Years of experience and hardship fortified Solus against many attempts to take them down in battle, this instance was no different. To Elijah's detriment, he was incapable of realizing that the Captain seldom acted without prudence or means to defend themselves from most, if not all situations. Perhaps it was his lack of intelligence, perhaps it was his inability to sense reiatsu, or perhaps it was the sheer difference in combat and personal experience that hindered him. Ultimately the cause was irrelevant. In the end, only one would come out on top, only one would remain standing, and only one was truly dominant.

Just as the bodies and Elijah sought to fall upon the Captain, in the meager attempt to finish them they could muster, Solus stood, stoic, and unshaken like the stalwart they were. As it had been previously determined, the behemoth would act in favor of his own demise. Like moths to the flame, he approached, and soon he neared his end.In a hurry, all of Elijah's efforts would be rendered futile. "Therevada!" the Captain exclaimed, but the words were lost to the chaos. The sheer immediacy of the command's results spoke volumes of the Captain's power. Just before both he, and the bodies would have chance to topple the Lion, a blackness was born from Solus' own blackened hands.

The wave of dark, a burst not dissimilar to any other explosion would rapidly consume anything and everything unfortunate enough to be caught within its reach, which considering the circumstances would assuredly be Elijah and his corpses. Upon being exposed to Solus' wrath, flesh would be scorched by the the fierce flames reaching around 1000°F. Intentionally, or unintentionally, this was approximately the same temperatures crematorial flames reached. However the limited exposure, and severely lower temperature would not be enough to reduce the new batch of bodies to ash in the same way the others were. Following the searing wave, temporary blindness and disorientation would set in as the extreme and wild dance of darkness and flames would obscure all sight, and the violent force would send everything flying back at an incredible pace. Unfortunately the strength of the burst was far beneath what Solus had originally intended, being only two-thirds of its full potential-- Elijah's rushdown tactics meant a premature release of the stored power. Nevertheless, Solus was beyond capable of making the most of nearly any situation, and this was no different.

Elijah's rather particular approach to his recent attack provided an excellent opportunity for Solus to deliver a decisive blow. At the current level of power Therevada in its Homa Form boasted an extreme knockback potential, so much so that Elijah and all else would be forced back nearly 200 meters if permitted.Yet, in a clear act of divine cruelty, the cave however lacked the ceiling clearance to accommodate such a notable travel distance. With the grossly limited space to move, and the extremely high knockback force, the impact with the ceiling would be catastrophic on it's own. Of course, that alone would not be enough for an attack crafted by the bestial Captain. To add injury to injury, the stalactites above would of course impale anything thrust upon them, with finally numerous bodies conjured by Elijah's own power left to crash into the potentially impaled behemoth in an unseen barrage of his own making.

Last edited by Asano on Tue May 23, 2017 7:02 pm, edited 4 times in total.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

Elijah was awash with blood misted excitement as his corpse wave crashed down upon the smaller man. However, the gargantuan predator soon found himself of the Captain's fury. There were flames, there was darkness, and there was pure unadulterated physical force. The three of these together ruined Elijah's straightforward assault. The initial wave of corpses charred to a crisp and we're blown apart, limbs smashing into the walls like paste. Elijah himself was thrust toward the ceiling of spiked stone with the remainder of his makeshift army.

Impalement quickly approaching, Elijah called once more to the corpses he had wrought in his lifetime. Cushioning his back from the the blow, hundreds of corpses emerged from between the stalagtites. They twisted and writhed into an almost protective cocoon around the giant. The launched bodies simply being claimed by the new creature of flesh. Morphing into a new shape entirely l, the corpses formed what appeared to be Elijah four times his scale. Its hands burrowed into the ceiling above and sought to tear the entire thing down by strength alone, sending stalagtites and stone slabs down onto Solus.

Dropping from above with a earth quaking stomp with the stone, the golem of flesh raised both hands as if beckoning an otherworldly force. From the entirety of the floor and remaining walls, thousands of corpses shambled toward Solus. Men, women, children, animals of all shapes and sizes, groaning in eternal torment. With the stone above and undead horde on all sides, Elijah willed his monolithic construct from within to charge headlong into Solus. Expecting Solus to blast back as he had previously, Elijah braced for impact. Hoping to soften the blow with his corpse armor, he would hop out after the initial attack and charge forward as his simple minded nature forced him to. He sought to shove his chainsaw into Solus' gut, pinning him in place as the army of corpses tore the Captain's limbs from his body.

Using the recently modified version of your zanpakutou, despite not existing prior to this battle. How naughty.

Solus looked up in dismay. An unexpected recovery on Elijah’s behalf left the Captain shaken. With body broken, bloodied, and bruised. Flesh burned by flame and shadow, somehow Elijah still found the will to persist. For a moment all things ceased to exist to the Captain, save for one haunting thought “Have we truly become this weak?” They didn’t linger on the idea, knowing full well that the dire circumstances would not permit it. Instead they remained as fixated on the battle as ever.

Where mind had failed, Solus possessed one valuable weapon. A last resort and final gambit. In lieu of calculation and planning existed heart and soul. Simple animal instinct, and the basic tenants of survival— to fight, or to flee. As things now turned grim, the time to set aside the one thing holding them back was nigh. Having been born and raised by conflict, shaped and molded by pain and suffering, their life and life’s trials had prepared them for this very moment. The beast had taken over.

The large shadows covering Solus’ arms receded and shrank back to their normal size and their feet moved in a hurry as if posses by some ungodly entity. The animal compelled the Captain to flee, instantly understanding that facing the tower of corpses head on would be unwise. It would have been a flawless escape, another mark of excellence on the Captain’s behalf even in their compromised state. The sheer foresight and overwhelming ability they possessed naturally, then amplified by years of conditioning would have seen to it, but fate demanded an alternative outcome.

No sooner than two steps away from their previous location, Solus foot snagged on something on the floor. Helpless to do nothing but fall over as a consequence of the power in their being throw off balance by the unknown object, Solus glanced down as they tumbled for. Their eyes widened in shot upon recognitions the object as the corpse of a mountain lion. They were not upset by what it was, not the fact that it was clearly left as a means to intimidate them. Rather, it was the simple fact that it had escaped their detection in a way few things ever could.

The beast tried to reason, tried to put together a cause. There was simply no way a being of Elijah’s limited intellect could have executed an effective strategy. No, rather it was Solus’ own fixation on taking down the behemoth that left them vulnerable to such an unfortunate event. An untimely accident at best that cost them precious time. Of course, Solus was not without means to recover. Vague images of hands appeared around the Captain and reached out for them. While the disembodied shadow limbs fervently lashed out at Solus, they also employed the use of their psychic ability centered around the shadows adorning them in order to catch themselves. Out of the frying pan.

Though narrowly escaping harsh meeting with the cave’s floor, they could not avoid their date with the corpse tower. In a blink it fell upon them, but not before the first makings of an incantation escaped them. The Captain was immediately lost to heap, as were their words “ba- - do- - - - o - an- - o -“, but not their power. As the pull of death embraced them, seeking to tear them apart piece by piece, their last stand was made astoundingly clear. By the time the chainsaw began chipping away at the armor forged my sheer spiritual strength, flashes of green light would break through the darkness of death surrounding both the Captain and Elijah.

There wasn’t much time left, they only needed to hold out a little longer longer. The makings of an inverted pyramid would begin to form as the teeth of the blade began eating away at the Captain’s flesh, letting loose a stream of blood. Their arms and legs would have followed, but the shadows fought to keep their master together for a few moments longer. Light would begin to fill the spaces between the outlines of the structure, signaling Elijah’s one and only hope for escape. A moment later, the “door” would close and Solus would unleash the last of their strength in a wicked torrent of flames.

An unspeakable blackness would drown out the light from the inside as the flames exploding forth from the shadows would consume all within. Like a tyrant snuffing out the life of the young by their own hands, so too would the last vestiges of light die a cruel and untimely death. As one last act of defiance, Solus wanted to leave their lasting mark, ande message. A grand statement of one singular idea. A sign that clearly stated that even when felled, they were not to be taken lightly. When beaten, they remained an mercilessly volatile combatant and threat until the very bitter end. There was no safety, no shelter from the calamity that they were.

All culminated in a three pronged attack. The first was trap Elijah within the barrier along with themselves. The second to burn away both him and the corpse armor he hid behind, with the final suffocating him and rending him unconscious as the gluttonous flames rapidly consumed the limited air within the structure. Of course Solus too would be left breathless in the wake of their own final attack, but it was all they could do put down the behemoth fast enough to live to see another day.

All hope rested on the chance that the brute’s lack of haste and obsession with tearing Solus down would blind him the same way that they were blinded previously. That he would not realize the trap before it was too late, and be left to suffer the same fate as the Captain. Knowing a few moments of fear as the pain of being unable to breathe gripped him, smoke filled his lungs, and the stench of burning flesh filled his nose in the microcosm of pitch Solus created even when falling against the might of an opponent.

Though alternatively, and extremely Elijah would be left trapped outside the barrier if he saw it fit and had the means to quickly escape. There, he would be left unable to continue his assault, potententially long enough for whatever twisted god that allowed him to persist this long to lose interest in its wicked game, and leave Elijah to fall where he should have long ago. Who favor the card lied in was yet to be seen, but one thing would hold true regardless of the outcome. Whether successful or not, the barrier would shatter a few moments after the flames died down letting air return to whatever was left within the barrier ensuring that none would die from suffocating at least.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

Elijah's flesh was charred, his bones broken, his life extinguished, but he would not relent. Seeing the feral captains near fall, Elijah''s beast of flesh face curled into a smile. No teeth adorned this armor creature, merely dangling limbs to imitate them. Blood poured forth from its maw as if salivating at the opportunity to devour prey. This would mark the end of the Lion, and the rise of the Corpse laden crocodile.

From within, Elijah willed his flesh forward, eyes locked on Solus. No longer lumbering wit the construct, he was sprinting. Chunks of torsos, legs, and arms crunched and squelched with each forceful step. The supporting shuffling flesh horde that sought to overwhelm Solus was held back by the sheer temperature and spiritual pressure.

Elijah and his personal pet however, managed to strike true. The enormous chainsaw wielded by the giant slashed into Solus. Not fully, no blood spillt at first, but it was merely prolonging the inevitable. Oblivious to the magic he despised, Elijah poured the entirety of his might into carving up the lion.

No only was the endeavor proving successful, but Elijah was engulfed by the spraying blood of the powerful beast captain. Too late did he recognize the green hue surrounding him, and too late did he feel the flames engulf them both

Unable to sustain the integrity of his corpse double, it was vaporized into ash. The man beneath it made no gasps for air, but he was suffocating all the same. He had been beaten, but not bested by the kamikaze attack of the lion. Merely willing one more use of his zanpakutou before it revoked it's unholy life.

Choking out a the simple word use for the command, laughter began to radiate throughout the entire of the cave and within the pyramid. A deep, malice filled sound of utter glee before it faded with the concious thoughts of Elijah Werzkoff.

The pyramid shattered. All trances of it’s light faded and the smoke contained within scattered to parts unknown. Silence, only deafening silence stood instead. Lining the floor, two heaps of flesh, both burnt, battered and without breathe.

Silence, that cursed silence that had taken reign were Solus had left it grew ever harsher with each passing moment. Second, after agonizing second. Silence, nothing, and more silence. Perhaps it was a fitting send off for the fallen. A solemn and somber moment to dash the violence and noise that had once thrived. No laughter, no shouting, no shouts or roars, just the pure and unfiltered silence the two’s seeming demise had created. The mark of the true end of savagery. There was nothing but the brutal, and agonizing muteness.

But as with all good things, fierce battles, and even wars, there is nothing that exists without its due end. A cough, a strained and desperate cough brought noise back to the world as if sound was being created for the first time. The floodgates has open. More coughs, almost choking coughs as Solus struggled and gasped for air. Fallen, but not dead, yet not well either.

Smoke fled from bestial Captain’s maw as the fit carried on. Too long without air, too long in the haze of death to be okay, yet they persisted. In the distance, The Proving Flame recognized a battle hard-fought had seen its end, and there was none left standing in the wake of it all. In response to the situation as it was, its power was roused once more. Torrents of ash, smoke and fire bursted forth from the hearth that housed it and kindled fury spread both far and wide. It lacked the touch the healers of the fourth had, in fact its touch would be immensely painful at first, but the job would be done.

Wounds would be mended. Bones rent unbroken, bruises and cuts undone. Bodies would be mended in full, and all would be well once more though time would be needed for broken bodies to once again regain their strength. Quiet fell once more. Like life after a plague, all traces of the flame and it’s power were left scarce following its deed.

And once again there was silence.

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

The roar of thunder roared across the 7th Division Headquarters. It was almost as though the thunder waited for the storm to pass away before taking shape.

A trace of yellow lightning flashed before the dark entrance of the Tyrant breech as Aoshi would be seen bolting down in the form of a lightning. His presence and Demeanor glowed like gold as the Elvira would be noted to be cloaked in lightning, hiding his kimono.

His presence was unwanted, the king had no business whatsoever to be in the 7th Division Headquarters, but all intention known to him was that he had come to stir things up. it would appear that Aoshi had foregone the entrance of the pit of beast which would be the Tyrant beech, as he had directly bolted into the Den of Demons.

It was a spooky place indeed befitting its name, blood stains was visible and clear as it also appeared to be archaic.

Aoshi would move to destroy the little things he found worthy of destruction. sending lightning bolts to the overhead stones that served as the roof to the Den of Demons.

Now where are they? Who dares to challenge me?

The Elvirian King's Mastery over Kidō came to an advantage in this situation as he was able to tweak the Kidō surrounding the Pit granting access to his compatriot entry into the pit of Beasts. One only thing certain to the Elvira was that if nobody showed up it would bring the imminent destruction of the Den of Demons

-Rise, warrior.
Intrusion is not to be suffered by us.
Stand, and reject.-

These words, seemingly originating from no source in particular echoed from deep within the slumbering Captain’s soul. Of course, the Solus was unaware of what was being said. Yet the selfsame mysterious force speaking out to them, motivated to awaken.

It was slow, but the beast stirred. As soon as Solus’ eyes had opened, they sat up and swiftly scanned the room. It wasn’t long before the Captain noticed an unusual visitor. The pit’s location wasn’t necessarily well known so the fact that anyone from outside the Seventh Division and the now deceased Central 46 was able to find it was interesting, but Solus paid it no real mind. Rather, their more pressing concern was the fierce battle that had occurred previously, and the shame of the defeat that hung over their head. Nevertheless Solus carried themselves as they always had.

As a beast most vile and foul, they spoke with that ever abrasive tone of voice. The toxicity of their tongue ever virulent, ever biting. Harsh enough to make diamonds seem fragile, dark enough to make even the sun seem dim. The vitriolic echoes came as such:

”Why have you come here? The Seventh has no business with outsiders, nor does it have the patience for them. It would be wise to return to wherever it was you came from.”

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...

The King turned around in response to the deep voice that echoed within the Den. Never startled for it would be a shame to be as he was intruding, the King turned around to meet the voice.

"Return?" Aoshi said as he paced around the monstrous Captain before coming to a stop about 5meters away from the man. "It sounds as if your giving me an option, and I don't do well with options"

In a manner, Aoshi had hoped it would be the vile Lieutenant of the 7th, but it was the captain that answered his call, however the disappointment Aoshi was willing to play. "I was expecting to the that monster of yours, the Lieutenant, I didn't know It would be the bigger monster that would make an appearance."

In a way the King was right, both captain and Lieutenants were monstrously strong and also it was shown in both body and attitude. "Come at me Monster" The King said with all authority and pride, almost immediately as the last word left his lip, Ten bolts of lightning that would pass as one to an untrained eyes, would race down from the Heavens to meet the Captain at his left and right thighs, and both the captain's Shoulders.

Cries of thunder echoed inside the Den and above, for the Elvira Head had become serious. The exposed clouds began to gather all its lightning bringing forth more cries of thunder as the beginning of the end had began.

Strolling down the Tyrant Breech with his staff strapped to his back, a pack of potato chips on one hand and the other hand submerged deep into the pack in an attempt to grab unto the last chip, was none other than Kin Ryuu. The infamous olive skin, bald hair Shinigami standing over 6ft tall with bright hazel eyes.

Appearing in all black, a kimono commonly worn by ninjas of the Edo era. The Shinigami walked in gentle steps with his shoulders held high.

Unfazed by the stench of blood, and the spooky presence roaming round the cave. Kin observed his surrounding taking into details the mysterious structure of the cave hidden behind such a narrow path way. Giving more thoughts on how life underground would feel like, One could almost pity those brought up in such location.

With a few more chips ingested as he trades in deeper into the cave, the raging sound of pale lightning echoing within the depths of the cave immediately weighed on him causing a slight slant in his posture as he bit down on the last potato chip he could get his hands on. "Aoshi Elvira"

"How dare he leave without me" the Shinigami mumbled while folding the emptied potato wrap before tossing it aside as he walked into the Den of Demons

For someone so tidy, this single act of tardiness had never been a good sign not for his division members who termed him the crazy monk. And today might just be another day to show how crazy he could be.

With the Vice-Captain already in a tense mood, he had wished to gain a little breather after his return but for some reason he was here going after monsters and kings while beasts threatened the safety of soul society.

If there was a way to get away from the chaos of the world he would have been the first to sign up.

If for anything this might have just been what he needed, a detour round sereite to ease his nerves.

However, a battle was something, he would've rather avoided. But seeing as Aoshi had already kicked off the party all that was left to do was make sure he didn't die under his watch most especially against an opponent he was yet to meet.

With his sight now settled on Aoshi who had manage to raise up a storm barely moments after his arrival. Kin would only let out another sigh while pulling out his golden staff before hanging it across his shoulder with his hands resting on them.

Elijah had laid unmoving, imperceptibly breathing, in the spot where he had fallen against Solus. He had lost, he had been beaten, but he had not been broken. The battle took all he could offer, but victory eluded Solus as well, a consolation that served only to enforce Elijah''s malice. He would fight the Captain again, and he would kill him eventually.

Still as corpse as he waited on the ground, Elijah heard the loud entrance of Aoshi. Irritated and unthreatened, Elijah laid still as Solus spoke. The giant only stirred when lightning began to fall, simply rising to his feet to tower over Solus. His sudden appearance would be akin to a crocodile emerging from the water to take prey from the riverbank.

The lightning would simply crash into Elijah's recompiled body, bothering him very little and serving to lessen the effort Solus needed to expend. "The Lion does not....fight sheep" He would growl at the indolent man who had invaded.

Solus scoffed as Elijah moved to intercept the lightning bolts. Though at the time Solus was unable to topple the behemoth, there were quite far from needing his protection. For now, he Captain stifled their resentment toward Elijah for their next encounter would not find the same result. But more pressingly, something else had begun to stir.

In the distance, The Proving Flame flared to life once’s more. What used to be golden orange flames, now tinged a blood red. The fires rapidly sought to purge Aoshi from the Pit, but Solus intervened. Before the Flame’s power could be recognized in full, the Captain waved, and the ancient weapon was stilled. By moving to initiate combat without first declaring his intent to battle, the Flame’s law had been violated.

The event prompted Solus to speak once more.

”Neither I nor The Proving Flame will see our laws go unfollowed. If you wish to fight, declare it so.
Only once ourselves or The Proving Flame have recognized you, and you have received the mark may you engage each other.

We will not bare the existence of cowards and their petty sneak attacks. Only true warriors may be here. If not, you will be both removed and banished from the grounds, forbidden to ever return without first earning redemptions.

It should be further noted that battles here must be conducted one on one. These halls desire and demand strength above all else, and only when man fight man is such strength seen. However... if the two of you wish to face the Lieutenant we will allow it. A chance for him to further prove his might.

But understand this, should the two of you together fail to defeat this behemoth of a man, you will be forbidden to remain here and barred further entry until you’ve proven your strength at a later time. The weak and unworthy are stains upon this earth and we will not bear to see them.”

It would come in a blur, and seek to lay waste to them all.
In a flash, the beast sought to let loose a calamity crafted by its own hands.
Its sole purpose to leave nothing but charred remains and ash...